The Jacksonville Police Department is currently involved in the 2012 Holiday “Booze It & Lose It” campaign. The campaign began on Dec. 7 and will end on Jan. 2.

One of the first checkpoints, also known as checking stations, for the Booze It and Lose It campaign, which continues through Jan. 2, was held overnight from the campaign kickoff on Friday, Dec. 7, to Saturday, Dec. 8.

A press release from Beth Purcell, media liaison for the Jacksonville Department of Public Safety, stated officers of the JPD initiated the checkpoint on U.S. 17 near the N.C. Highway Patrol Station. Two drivers were charged with DWI and 20 other violations were discovered, according to the release.

Those other violations included aiding and abetting DWI, no operator license, driving with a revoked license, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, wanted person arrests and violations for tinted windows, registration, seatbelts and child restraints.

Participating agencies included Jacksonville, Holly Ridge and North Topsail Beach police departments and the BAT Mobile Unit with support from Mothers against Drunk Driving and the North Carolina Department of Transportation, according to the release

Purcell stated in an email that checking stations all have the same goal: compliance with North Carolina state motor vehicle law.

“The primary goal of a DWI Checking Station is to deter motorists from drinking and driving,” she stated. “They are the single-most effective way of identifying impaired drivers on a specific roadway.”

Lt. Sean Magill, JPD’s traffic supervisor, said that DWI enforcement has a direct correlation to the reduction of alcohol-related traffic fatalities and injuries.

Checking stations are staffed by JPD officers, and the personnel costs are factored into the regular operating budget for the JPD, Purcell stated.

“Costs are lessened as larger checkpoints are manned by multiple agencies,” she stated. “DOT provides lighting and other support as part of their normal operating budget. The BAT mobile is free to agencies, as it is funded entirely by fees paid by drunk drivers.”

Purcell said that Mothers against Drunk Driving and other volunteer groups provide material support to those working the checking stations, along with local businesses that provide support and supplies for officers to use at the stations.

“The cost of operating the checking station is less than the monetary value to society from a DWI-involved death,” she said.

Contact Daily News Reporter Tabitha Clark at 910-219-8454 orTabitha.Clark@jdnews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @TabithaLClark or friend her on Facebook.